By DAN NETTER
Capital News Service
LANSING – Hate incidents and hate groups have made Michigan a hotbed for white supremacy activity and propaganda, according to two of the nation’s leading groups that track hate-based activity.
The Anti-Defamation League ranked Michigan fourth nationally on the amount of white power propaganda distributed by way of flyers and leaflets around the state, behind Texas, Massachusetts and Virginia.
Among the groups spreading the vast majority of the white power literature in the country last year were Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League and White Lives Matter. Together, the Anti-Defamation League, headquartered in New York City, says 93% of distributed literature was displayed by the three groups.
As recently as early March, the Goyim Defense League distributed flyers with antisemitic language in Gaines Township, in Kent County. The flyers claimed Jewish people were responsible for the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
In January, the Goyim Defense League also spread flyers in Delta Township, near Lansing, promoting antisemitic online videos.
While it takes a different approach in counting the spread of white power propaganda, Southern Poverty Law Center senior researcher Jeff Tischauser said his group’s research supports the Anti-Defamation League’ss findings.
“Even with our different kinds of criteria, we’re still finding very similar results,” Tischauser said. “And flyering is increasing in Michigan.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Georgia, has been tracking incidents where white power and other hate groups publicly display a flyer or banner. According to Tischhauser, Michigan has been the state with the highest number of reported incidents in the Midwest.
Tischauser said Michigan has had 597 such incidents since 2018, with a seven-fold increase from 2018 to 2022. Nearly 90% happens in the metro areas of Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids.
In addition to the three groups listed by the Anti-Defamation League, Tischauser said the neo-Nazi group Folkish Resistance Movement and the Ku Klux Klan are spreading propaganda within the state.
Javed Ali, a University of Michigan professor and counterterrorism expert, said the distribution and posting of hate flyers in communities is “certainly ugly” but not illegal.
This means unless there is a possibility of hate-based violence happening, Ali said, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies cannot make arrests for simply putting up flyers or banners.
But, Ali said, the FBI should not be the last line of defense and law enforcement officers can become involved by talking to people putting up the displays, either online or in person.
“There needs to be a better effort or early warning system to have conversations with folks about what we need to do and what can we do legally and pulling in law enforcement early as well,” Ali said.
“Not to make an arrest because there may not be a crime being committed. Maybe having an officer knock on someone’s door like: ‘Hey, you know you’ve been linked to this complication or this material. Explain this to me,’” he said.
Ali said such a measure could have a chilling effect on hate group members and potentially deter people from further involvement in such activities.
Anthony Lewis , the Department of Civil Rights community engagement and education director, said his agency has taken steps to counteract “bias incidents” and hate crimes.
That includes setting up the Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes, which produces an online series about possible hate and bias occurrences and created a community response system manual.
This manual, Lewis said, is a guide to ways communities could rally their residents to heal from a bias incident or hate crime and help prevent others..
Lewis said that the steps in the manual are usually taken by community leaders rather than the department
“If it’s community-led, community-generated and community-run, it’s always best when that happens,” he said.